tai2:
Lol. When I wrote this piece. It was to help the people who want to travel by all means and end up suffering abroad. However some have taken it to imply that I am currently in that state of limbo. Far from it. I live a quite comfortable life abroad but I know what it took and I know how many misguided Nigerians I see everyday looking for how to survive or living on the wrong side of the law just to stay behind.

If I didn't have the money to live the life. I would be gone in a month.

Some live their lives just to be constantly on the run from the police or immigration officials, meanwhile their mates in Nigeria have gotten themselves small jobs and moved ahead whether in civil service or private sector.

A banker in Nigeria will be earning small money, dump it all and run to the U.S only to end up in poor circumstances due to failure to plan. Success is easier in some foreign countries than others and by learning how to seek it appropriately. No be to end up for Poland or Kazakstan in the name of searching for foreign visa and end up suicidal or frustrated.

yorubadelta:


This may be true for some.. what I see Nigerians do when they first arrive is to limit themselves and limit their circle, listening to advise from fellow Nigerians who have been here so long with nothing to show for it.

If that qualified banker rolls with the right people who know what they are doing, he would secure a great job without much struggle.

A very close friend of mine became a senior drug safety scientist within 3yrs of arriving the UK.. dude has a 2.2 in microbiology from Onabisi Onabanjo Uni.. no masters, no previous work experience. It was a lady he met in the industry that put him through how to package his cv to get the job.

So you see it not that Nigerian qualifications is looked down upon here.

seunny4lif:
I beg I prefer Germany to Uk

tai2:
5. Nothing is Free

Nothing is free in Obodo Oyibo. In several places if you decide to sit down, you must pay. You cannot sit in a restaurant gisting with your friend for two hours buying nothing. Or go to a bar and watch free football without buying booze. If somebody offers you something for free, check closely, there’s a price hidden somewhere.

Your Nigerian countrymen will hide food under their bed if you’re coming to visit. Nobody is in the business of “come and eat”. Some will see you through keyhole and not even open the door.

Bus will be paid for, taxi will not carry you for free. You will account for the water you bathe with, the electricity you use to toast bread, even the one you use to watch TV. Some people even put off all the lights in their house and operate in semi-darkness just to cope with the bills.

Except your friends are Yahoo Yahoo men. Nobody will carry you to bar and buy booze for everybody. You will pay for your own alcohol or at least contribute to the bill. That Nigerian pattern of following one big boy up and down to eat and drink free does not exist here. People who start it abroad never end up well.

If you’re lucky you will find a girlfriend to ease tension. But even girlfriends are expensive sef especially when it’s a Nigerian babe. Many young men are forced to find “Milan” aka ashewo just to deposit something somewhere.

This is why many Obodo Oyibo guys go and import babes from Nigeria in the name of marriage so they can have somebody to be doing all the doables in the cold of Obodo Oyibo.


I might have forgotten to add one or two other things. The summary of the matter however is that obodo oyibo is great when you have money, foreign qualifications, obodo oyibo experience and a job in a proper company.

Without these things, you are very likely to suffer. This is why you see so many obodo oyibo people building houses in Nigeria and saying “East or West, home is best”, because at the end of the day, while 2 million naira will not build a cubicle to live in obodo oyibo, in Nigeria it can get you a house you can live for free without bothering about eviction. In Nigeria all you have to do is have a house you own. Food will come from anywhere and everywhere. In obodo oyibo, so many people pay one form of modern slavery every month for 30 years called mortgage, just to have a house that is their own in old age and survive on pension.

Mcowubaba:
Every Country has its on sh!t !!!
If we start to list the disadvantages of living in Nigeria eh
..but the Op is on point.. Esp abt the Job aspect nd accomdation!!
I Remember d time, Uncle.....told me, 'hope u knw people work here too' ...
Dat man self....
Oyibo countries no too green as many Nigerian people think oo...
By d time u work 15hrs a day as a factory worker, ur waist nd back go remember ğreen white green!!!..,,nd most importantly pls pls pls come in LEGALLY!!!....being an illegal immigrant is the begining of ur failure nd sufferings

MrDoGood:
Very simple.
Op is broke and poor.

no2fuks:


bs all your points are bs I dont know why nigerians abroad always try to discourage ppl guy some ppl working in the banks In naija after bsc earn N50k a month yankee minimum wage is about $8/hr 8hrs a day 40hrs a week 40x8=$320 a week x 4 = $1240 a month this is what 16yr old secondary school students are making so what are you saying op? bs

YerYer:
I'm glad OP made the distinction between obodo oyinbo and U.S. I'm not here to tell you that there's milk & honey flowing in the U.S or the streets are paved with gold, but I can confidently say you have better opportunities in the U.S than you do in Europe. Like anything in life, good information and the determination to make use of that information will make you very successful. Unfortunately, some Nigerians travel overseas and squander their opportunities. Or their so called relatives in the U.S never guide them because many of them made stupid mistakes by either studying the wrong courses in school or made poor choices ex fathering several babies and being tied to pay child support for many years to mention just a few.

Let me have this on record, if you happen to visit the U.S with a greencard, I can personally guide you towards earning an associate degree under 2-3yrs or bachelors within 4yrs all depends on how much credits you carry over. And if you are hardworking and live in the right state, willing to work overtime, you can easily start making a minimum of $200,000 a year. Look at my other posts, I don't sell ebook or give false hopes. Not every 'obodo oyinbo' is the same.

tai2:
3. Racism

Lol. Being a black man or woman is tough in this world. Oyibo that bathes twice or three times a week to save water, will hold their nose when they see you. Some people will openly refuse to serve you, some will refuse to even answer you or give you a job.

Racism is everywhere, the level of racism depends on the country i.e are you in a country as hard as Poland or in one where they have a lot of people of different races such as the United States? If you live in a city with people from different countries, it tends to be much less.

Its not all bad, some people will actually like you for being black others will detest you. The point is you don’t know who is going to hiss at you in the morning or smile, which can be depressing.

Also the poorer you are and the poorer the society you live in, the more racism you are likely to suffer. Rich people are welcome anywhere. A rich black man will think he is the most loved person in the world in some of these places but still some people will not care and look at you like you were coated in dawadawa and smell of the substance. You need a strong mind for this one.


4. Loneliness

In Nigeria, its never hard to make friends. Even with Iya that owns the provision store near your house, where you can sit down and discuss everything from the thieves that are stealing Nigeria’s money to that single woman in your compound who is always entertaining men with different cars at all hours of the day.

In Obodo Oyibo, nobody has time to sit around and discuss. Your neighbour will see you in the morning and walk past without saying hello. The person smiling for you in the store is only trying to separate you from your money. You cannot call people to gist with them on the phone and spend one or two hours. Calling Nigeria however might be easier because of Internet calls, however when you have to work for food you have little time to socialize.

Over time you might learn to make friends with co-workers, other Nigerians and other people, but it will take a lot of time. People you spend time gisting with today might not even acknowledge you tomorrow. That is the way it is.

DanjaNinja:


Emm, i think you meant the reverse - 1)Canada 2) US 3)Uk. The Uk is the least immigration friendly country on your list.

sule4:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Many, many, many more Blessed Years to You!
Mine was 3 days ago.

knxpin:

The writer made some good points ,
White people don't give us a chance as long as you have
that black skin. Look at how they are trying to make caricature of President Obama. I know people with good Masters degrees here with experience that was laid off because a small white boy just graduated. You make $200000 a year and how much did you save at the end of the year? And I can confidently count how many times you sleep at home.so please don't start telling us what we know. It is better than Nigeria but people living in Nigeria enjoy more.

Obiwannn:
DO YOU REALISE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO MAKE IT IN NIGERIA?

DoctorChuks:


Just joined NL. I have a small question. What do u folks do with these likes? Are they redeemable for something? Please, exactly what are they used for?

tai2:


So you feel minimum wage in Yankee will allow you live a comfortable life. That money you're calculating have you factored in tax and the costs of renting accomodation? At the end of the day you might be left with just enough to survive until the next month.

50k or 60k a month in Nigeria will guarantee you a better life in some places than $1240 a month will give you in the United States.

bettercreature:
You smart die HBD,OP is very correct,the best solution is to take a very short period course when you enter any foreign country and withing 18 months you are ready to go

tai2:


Yeah nursing is great. The best countries abroad for Nigerians are the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom etc (in that order too). Even South Africa is a lot better than a number of European destinations. These are countries with the right qualifications and experience you can get a job and live like a human being. In the Middle East you can get jobs too although without the right to permanent residence eventually. Anything else is a big gamble.

no2fuks:


you can Google "lottery of life" nigeria is ranked as the worst place to be born in the whole wide world. if you are not born rich the chances of making it is low

tai2:


So you feel minimum wage in Yankee will allow you live a comfortable life. That money you're calculating have you factored in tax and the costs of renting accomodation? At the end of the day you might be left with just enough to survive until the next month.

50k or 60k a month in Nigeria will guarantee you a better life in some places than $1240 a month will give you in the United States.

knxpin:

The writer made some good points ,
White people don't give us a chance as long as you have
that black skin. Look at how they are trying to make caricature of President Obama. I know people with good Masters degrees here with experience that was laid off because a small white boy just graduated. You make $200000 a year and how much did you save at the end of the year? And I can confidently count how many times you sleep at home.so please don't start telling us what we know. It is better than Nigeria but people living in Nigeria enjoy more.

no2fuks:



that is minimum tho. so maybe they take $300 tax u still got like $900. I neva said you will be comfy with it im saying that is the starting points

we cant compare usa with nigeria in anyway all your points are bullshit other than family and patriotism nigeria has nothing on obodo oyinbo stop deceiving ppl

YerYer:


It may delight you to know that i personally think there are better opportunities in Nigeria than overseas. Read my comment again, I said the U.S is better than Europe in regards to the opportunities to make more money. I didn't say I make $200,000, besides I clearly said "minimum" of $200,000 meaning you can easily make more than that. Unfortunately, the government will take its cut in taxes, but lets say you make $200,000 and pay tax of $60,000, you are left with $140,000. How many of university graduates are taking home this much money every year? Sure you will have expenses like rent & bills to pay, but if you live within your means aren't you financially better off than your colleague in Nigeria making N120,000 a month?
Now your quality of life may be somewhat poorer than your colleague in Nigeria like you clearly said, you may be sleep deprived working all those hours overtime. If you are smart however, you would live below your means, save as much as you can, further your education and go back home to establish. You may not take home as much as you did in the U.S when you relocate but your quality of life will be better. No light? Get your own generator. No security? Get your own gate man. Bad water? Get your own borehole and water filtration. Life is what you make of it.

erico2k2:

my guy if you realy mean $900 a month then you die well, you will be living under the bridge be dat ni

erico2k2:

I agree with you on this one, this is where it gets tricky,my first wage in the Uk was £4/hr,I was working in goods-in heathrow terminal 4 then,long time ago.but back then a room was like £40 a week.Someone once said on this forum, cut your coat according to your size, you are a single man you want to live in a 2 bed flat, na you sabi,you will spend the whole wage on overheads. waht use is it to work and have no savings??you have to cut cost to achieve your aim of cumming abroad whit primary reason to have initial capital.At work I always tell my guys,I dont live in the Uk I only just work here.

ttmacoy:
You know people who go to off because a graduate is a lie.

In if that wa true true , person prove it he can very easily bring case of unfair dismissal which is a serious issue here compare to Nigeria where people people fired anyhow and no protection.

If you earn $200k an have no savings, that is because you are a poor money manager living above your means. Maybe aside living in manhattan or downtown LA, $200k is a lot of money and you can live a very good life and have solid savings.
What is 200k a year, people are still living in fantasy world if you think 200k is good enough. You got a mortgage of 2500 monthly pay a property tax of 200 then pay the huge bills and still got some good cars and stuff and then you add sundry expenses and you think that is enough? I figured out a way of making money but not from my pay stuff. My mates in Nigeria are talking about 200 million dollars and some body is talking about 200k. This abroad is good if you just want to live in a good place but still you can get killed by strayed bullet. So one is not even secured here.The writer Mada some good points here.